I have a VW Golf R and test drove a Tesla M3 last week. I had set my expectations ahead of time but I was still let down by the interior quality of the vehicle. German auto companies have a great understanding of what makes a car feel like higher quality. It is a mix of design, materials, fit, usability, and sound. VW group, Mercedes Benz, and BMW spend considerable amount of money refining the user experience. Tesla is early in its life cycle and likely prioritizing drive train, batteries, and auto pilot. I see Teslas as more utilitarian in that sense, but I won't kid myself. I love the feeling of a well built car that can go fast and feel fast and sound fast while keeping me happy with creature comforts. Side note, the M3 should really have a full hatch instead of the traditional sedan trunk.

I sold my 2016 Golf R around the same time we picked up the 3. I actually was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the 3, to be honest. Maybe my expectations were low-ish because I spend a fair bit of time in a Model S, but I really thought they did a good job of stepping up and making the interior relatively premium. Where cars like the R feel 'premium' to me is how they glow at night. The interior just felt REALLY high end, better than a base BMW, all the glowing buttons and stuff. But the Tesla just doesn't HAVE the buttons. To me, that's different, not worse.

The nav/display is obviously better in the Tesla (although my Golf didn't have the digital cockpit that they're putting in the new ones). Both cars have their 'fancy' seating material (leather/fake leather/whatever) on the seating surfaces only, cloth elsewhere (and, by the way, I hate leather seats, I just want cloth in everything.. I'm just saying, this is one way premium cars are differentiated, is by FULL leather). The most galling thing to me on the R, the only real sign of cost cutting, was the manual passenger seat, where the 3 has a power seat. A low end touch on both is the totally spartan, stripped out finishing of the trunk/hatch area.

No swiveling headlights on the 3, but the headlights are actually better, significantly so, particularly on high beam.

Perhaps one thing that keeps me from being as critical of the 3 is that it's an appliance to me. I'm a german car fan, and I hate sedans. My BMWs and VWs have been cars I'm passionate about. The Tesla just takes me from Point A to Point B. And it's a fantastic car. But maybe that makes my expectations lower.

I am swaying between the Golf R MK 7.5 and the Dual Motor M3. I have a 2017 lease right now. I agree with you that the M3 will get me from point a to b with enhanced auto pilot features and no CO2 output, but I am afraid of missing out on the joy of driving. I recently moved to LA and my time in vehicle has increased by 3x. Which means both vehicles have increased pros and cons.

Do you miss having the hatchback? That is one my bigger gripes with the M3. This would be my only car.

Miss having the hatchback? Not really. I just think sedans are stupid, and less attractive than hatchbacks. But the 3 carries FAR more than the golf could ever hope to. The trunk is a bit difficult to close, which is an issue I have on lots of sedans (really stiff at the top, requires too much force to slam shut because it doesn't have the mass of a hatch).

I love driving the 3, and ours is an RWD LR with the 18" eco crap tires. I can't say I miss driving the R, but I miss the way it looks and having that unique car that I'm passionate about, and I really enjoyed having a manual transmission.

I have a manual sports car as well, but you know what, I always choose the 3 when I need to go run an errand, so maybe that's all you need to know. Just about the only time I've driven my sports car in the past year is 2 track days. Hardly any street miles.

That’s called a Model Y :)

I agree here. I’ve owned 6 Audi’s, one Lexus and a Jaguar and the interior quality/attention to detail in the Tesla is really sub-par.